Cat's Paw
by Little Patch of Heaven
Summary: .:Crossover:. The gang lands in yet another new world, but are separated upon entry. Searching for the princess's feather, Syaoran meets up with a strange boy he knows nothing about...but appears to know something he doesn't. *Pre-Acid Tokyo Arc.*
1. Prologue

**A/N: **_I'm attempting a Tsubasa crossover with The World Ends With You by Square Enix. **Formally titled 'Apparatus'**_

_I have changed this from being Post Tokyo Arc to Pre Tokyo Arc. Why? Because I decided it was going to get far too complicated and hard to handle if I really did have it after the Tokyo Arc. As well, I wanted to have some cute and funny scenes, as well as wanting that.......fun, care-free kind of feeling for parts that would be absent after the Tokyo Arc._

_So, where does this take place now? I'd say, sometime after the Piffle World. Don't worry about spoilers, it probably won't have much about previous worlds, accept for the occasional mention of previous events. Please read, enjoy, and please, please review. I don't care if you hate the plot/story, please comment on my writing ability!_

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**_Prologue:_**

_----_

Waking up in an unfamiliar place is always a worrying situation.

Off course, when you travel from world to world and unfamiliar places become a common thing, you can scratch the above and say:

Waking up in an unfamiliar place face down on the ground with no one familiar in sight and a loud crowd of people around you that are ignorant to your existence _and_ strange creatures begin to attack you and you suddenly find you have absolutely no way of defending yourself is a very, _**very**_ worrying situation.

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The brunette blinked his eyes open, pushing himself up off of the cold, hard ground. All around him were people of different ages, all talking excitedly and walking to and fro to their varying destinations. The crossing where he found himself at the center of was louder and busier than any he had ever been in, and he covered his ears in a feeble attempt to shut out some of the racket.

Glancing around, he realized that there was no sign of anyone familiar; he was racked with sudden worry when he realized he couldn't see the princess. Not just her, either. The caped swordsman and blonde magician he had been traveling with for a short time with where no where to be seen either.

He couldn't even locate the strange white creature that took them to all of the different worlds. The teenaged boy frowned, scanning the crowd. Where could his companions be? Where they separated upon entry?

He could easily guess that this wasn't the same world they had just been in due to the fact that he could spot nothing from the previous country. All around him, people of different races and ages talked happily, and he could guess that this world was free of danger, at least as far as he was aware at the moment.

This was not the world he had found himself in only a day ago. Pushing himself up off of the sidewalk, he scanned through the citizens of this world again, looking for something to grasp even a single clue to the fate of his companions. Had they all been split up throughout this world? He prayed that wasn't the case, and really hoped that the princess had not been left unprotected. He could take care of himself before he met up with the others, but he was unsure if she would be fine on her own. After all, as carefree as the inhabitants of this world seemed, there could still be a hidden danger lurking in the shadows.

There was a soft clinking noise, like something had fallen against the sidewalk, and he was amazed he had been able to hear it over the noise of the crowd. Glancing down, his brown eyes caught on a small pin, like the ones that would be pinned to vests or shirtfronts.

It was strange: black, with a white skull that appeared to be smiling at him sinisterly as if it knew something he didn't…..some strange and important secret that he was unaware of but would affect him all the same.

Bending down, his hand clenched around it, as he was going to look at it closer. But the moment the cold metal of the pin touched against his skin, a sudden frenzy of voices bombarded him.

It was like a radio had been switched on to _**every**_ station at once _inside_ his head. Crying out in surprise and pain at the headache the noise was giving him, he covered his ears.

'_I __**finally**__ beat Square's new game! That final boss-'_

'_I left my grocery list at home! What was after-'_

'_Hopefully I'll never get dragged to a movie like __**that**__ again…'_

'_I'm hungry...where's that ramen shop?'_

'_Oh crap! I just dropped my new-'_

'_That guy has no fashion sense at all.'_

The pin slipped from his hand, falling to the ground with a soft clinking noise and the sudden mass of voices in his mind stopped to be replaced with the normal noises of the crowd around him. _'What __**was**__ that?'_ he wondered, removing the hands from his ears and glancing down at the pin. The white skull seemed to leer menacingly up at him, and with a slight shudder he looked away.

He jumped in surprise when a beeping sound came from somewhere on his personnel. Glancing down he saw that he was still wearing his familiar black, sleevless top and long, white pants; the fabric was ripped, and torn in various places from different events in each world and around his shoulders was the green cape that his companions were used to seeing him wear. The beeping seemed to come from an inside pocket of the cape.

Raising an eyebrow, he carefully reached inside, praying a repeat of the pin wouldn't occur; instead of a black and white pin, he pulled out a strange looking device with buttons and a screen. Curiously, he flipped it open and words appeared on the inside screen: _Reach 104. Your limit is 60 minutes. Failing players will face wipe out._

"Ah!" he cried out when his right hand suddenly stung; looking down at it, he saw red numbers scratched across his palm, the numbers slowly ticking away as if it was some strange timer. "What the-?" Clenching his hand into a fist as the pain subsided, he looked back at the device's screen.

"…Wipe out?" he murmured, staring down at the strange message. To him, it didn't make any sense, and he wasn't even sure how he ended up with the strange green device. He was sure he had seen it before, or at least something like it, but he couldn't quite place what it was.

But that could wait. Right now, he had to find the others. A glance to the left revealed nothing and a glance in the opposite direction also failed to help him. Sighing, his gaze caught on a street leaving the crowded crossing across from him and he started towards it.

Pausing, he glanced back at the pin lying discarded on the street; he wasn't quite sure why but he reached out and picked the pin up, quickly shoving it in his pocket. For some reason, it felt important that he keep it with him.

The crowd ignored him as he pushed through the hoards of people until he arrived at a less crowded clearing. Gazing around, he saw a large statue of a dog at the far end of the street and walked towards it. After only taking a few steps he heard a loud scream, and his head whipped around to see a young woman cringing as a strange froglike creature lunged at her.

Suddenly, the woman disappeared, causing the teenaged bystander to gasp in surprise. No one else in the crowd seemed to notice, for no one reacted to the woman's disappearance. Hearing a noise behind him, he whipped around in a state of panic to see one of the strange creatures jumping at him. Lowering into a fighting stance, he threw his leg out in a roundhouse kick.

His leg hit the frog but failed to affect it at all, for the creature continued to come at him and in fear he turned and ran. He didn't get far before a hand grabbed his arm and he was pulled roughly to the left.

He stumbled, glancing up at the person who had seized him: a teenaged boy who appeared to be around his age. His orange-colored hair stuck out in spikes that resembled porcupine quills and he wore large, purple headphones that matched his wide eyes.

"Make a pact with me!" the boy cried out as he warily watched the frogs fast approaching.

The brunette pulled his arm from the other boy's grasp, and followed his gaze to the frogs. "A….pact?"

"Become my partner." Brown eyes gazed into purple ones curiously. "Or do you want to be erased?"

He wasn't quite sure what the orange-haired boy meant by that, but it certainly didn't sound enjoyable. He had no reason to trust this boy, but then again, he had no reason not to. So, he grabbed the boy's right hand and nodded. "Alright."

A tingling feeling spread through his body and he closed his eyes tight as the other boy pulled away from him. It wasn't unpleasant necessarily, but simply unexpected and a bit uncomfortable. After a moment the tingling passed, and when he opened his eyes he saw that his partner was standing away from him looking around, the frogs that had been attacking them only moments before were no where to be found.

Their eyes met, and the other boy motioned with his hand back towards the crowded crosswalk as he said, "Let's get to 104."

_104._ _Reach 104._ That was what the strange message had said. He wasn't at all sure of what was going on, but his partner appeared to know what to do, and so he found himself following the boy through the hoards of people until they reached a large building.

His right hand suddenly felt like it had been dunked in warm water, a short of relaxing, soothing feeling and a look down at it revealed the strange timer had faded away leaving no sign it was ever there.

Glancing over at the other boy, he saw that he was also gazing at his own hand. "Mission cleared," he murmured, almost too quietly for the brown-haired boy to hear him.

"What?" His partner glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow. The brunette struggled to word his confusion in a sufficient question. "The message….the timer….those _things_!" He narrowed his eyes and took a step towards his partner. "Just **what** is going on?!"

"You really don't know?" He shook his head in reply, and the orange-haired boy sighed.

"You're in the Reaper's Game."

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	2. Questions

**A/N:** _*sniff* I haven't received a single review! (Kurogane: Stop whining!) Just kidding. I realize that it was only the preview, but still, I would like to receive reviews. I don't care if you hate it, just please tell me WHY you hate it. Don't simply say 'This story sucks.' That's not very helpful. I like, no love constructive critism because it helps me improve. So, please read and review!_

_Oh, and I changed something. **Please Read This:** This story no longer takes place after the Tokyo Arc, which means, no change in main characters! (You know what I mean if you've read that far) It takes place some time after Piffle World_

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**_Chapter One: Questions_**

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Of all of his companions he could be stuck with – not friends, definitely _not _friends – it just had to be the white manju bun currently taking up residence on his head.

But then again, on second thought, even the annoying creature was better than the blonde mage. If it weren't for the curse placed on him, that annoying _thing_ would have been killed long ago, mostly because of the increasingly infuriating names he came up with.

The mage and the white creature were getting easier to deal with, mostly because his level of patience was growing, but he still didn't like being with them any more. Why couldn't he have ended up with the princess or the kid? Both of them were people the ninja could handle and stand being with just fine.

Kurogane shook his head, sending Mokona flying into the wall of a building, and looked around, trying to get some idea for where they were. Well, currently they were in some back street, between some buildings that appeared to be similar to the ones in the Country of Oto. The mage, the kid, and the princess were no where to be seen, and the ninja hoped it wouldn't be like the time when he and the mage ended up in a completely different time than the others.

"We should go find Fai, Sakura, and Syaoran!" Mokona shouted, bouncing back up onto Kurogane's shoulder. And after letting out a few complaints riddled with swear words, he agreed.

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Sakura blinked her eyes open slowly, watching as the blurs in her vision slowly shifted to people and buildings.

"Ah, Sakura-chan!" Glancing up, the familiar face of Fai D. Flowright entered her vision. She appeared to be at the booth in some restaurant, Fai sitting across from her, but the others no where to be seen.

Sakura sat up quickly, her features stained red with an embarrassed blush. "Fai-san, where are we?" She glanced out the window next to her and watched as people walked through the streets. Fai smiled, and said something she couldn't understand. Sakura blinked and cocked her head in confusion. "Fai-san, what did you say?"

The blond chuckled, and sketched out a picture in the air. Sakura watched, attempting to make sense of what he was trying to communicate before Fai said, "Mokona." Sakura gasped, and nodded, telling him she understood. She remembered now that the others had once explained to her that Mokona was the one who translated all their respective languages into one so that they could understand each other and the people of different worlds they ended up in.

Again, Fai said something she didn't quite understand, but when he stood she followed him out of the restaurant to look for their companions and their translator.

----

"The……Reaper's…game?"

The orange-headed kid sighed, shaking his head slightly. "You really don't know anything about it?" His companion shook his head, and he let out another sigh, rubbing at his left shoulder absentmindedly. "Well, I guess first things first. I'm Neku Sakuraba."

"Syaoran," the brunette replied, bowing his head slightly in a sign of respect. "So, Neku-kun, what exactly is this game? I don't remember entering it."

His partner sighed, scuffing his foot against the ground. "It lasts for a week; each day we receive a mission-"

"-Reach 104," Syaoran interrupted, and Neku nodded.

"Yeah. We have to complete each mission, and if we make it the whole week, we receive our entry fees back."

"Entry fees?" Syaoran asked, attempting to think back. He never remembered entering this game, and therefore didn't remember paying an entry fee either.

"The thing most important to you," Neku answered. To Syaoran, it sounded an awful lot like getting a wish granted from the Space and Time Witch. "The problem is, if you lose, well…..not only do you lose your entry fee, but you also pretty much lose the ability and right to exist." His partner gasped, his brown eyes widening at this piece of information.

"The…right to exist?" He thought back to the people he had seen disappear. Were they players of the game too? They....didn't exist anymore? Was it equivalent to dying, or was it somehow....worse? He had many more questions, and he looked up at Neku. "What were those things; as well, why does it look as though most people can't see us?"

"Noise. Creatures that are created to erase players. You can't fight them alone, though, which is why you need to partner up with someone in the beginning." Syaoran nodded again; it reminded him of the Country of Oto, where he and Kurogane had paired together to fight Oni. Though that had just been a created world, and the dangers there hadn't been real. Right now, he wasn't sure if this world was real or not, but he decided he didn't want to chance it.

"As for your second question," Neku continued, walking in front of a person walking by. "They can't see us, or hear us. We are in the Underground where the game takes place, and they are in the Realground. Two alternate dimensions crossing over." His point was proven when the person continued to walk forward and passed right through him.

_'Two different dimensions in one world?'_ Syaoran wondered. This game seemed.....suspicious. Suddenly, he realized something. Where the others in this 'Underground' or the 'Realground'? And if they were in the Underground, where they in the Reaper's game as well? He was positive that Fai and Kurogane would be able to make it through the game, but he was worried for Sakura. _The right to **exist.**_ What if she-

No. Syaoran shook his head, and Neku raised an eyebrow. He wasn't going to think like that. Sakura would be fine, he would find her. Although Neku talked with a foreign accent, the two could still understand each other, and that meant that Mokona couldn't be too far away from where he currently was.

Besides those worries, he still had countless more questions, but he could tell already that Neku was starting to get annoyed at having to explain so much. "Why do you know so much about this game, and I know absolutely nothing about it?"

Neku turned away, so that Syaoran could only see his back; his shoulders slumped, and Syaoran could tell there was something wrong as he replied, "Because unfortunately, I've played this game before."

Syaoran's eyes widened. "So you must have won, right?" Neku nodded slowly, and turned back to face him. There was silence for a moment before Syaoran decided to ask another question that had been bugging him. "Where exactly are we?"

"Tokyo. Shibuya to be exact." Another Tokyo, though it appeared to resemble Yuko's Tokyo more than it did Kurogane's. Though of course Syaoran had no clue what Kurogane's world was like, he had gathered that it resembled places like Koriyo or some of the ancient worlds he had learned about with his father. Neku glanced over at him. "You wouldn't have happened to lose your memory, have you?"

Syaoran shook his head. "No, I remember my past, I just don't remember anything that is connected with this game."

"I lost my memory the first time I played this game. It was my entry fee." Neku started towards the crosswalk Syaoran had awoken in again, and said," Come on. There's someone I want to talk with."

----

"Hyuu! There sure are a lot of people here, aren't there?" Fai said, his right hand above his eyes to block out the sun as he gazed around the crosswalk.

"Ah, Fai-san!" Fai turned to glance at Sakura. "I can understand you now!"

"And I can understand _you_. That must mean Mokona is close, and hopefully Syaoran-kun and Kuro-pii as well." Fai looked back out to the bustling crowd again. "But really, there are so many people here. This country must be rather popular, and there doesn't seem to be any danger that I can see. How will we find the others?"

"We'll just have to search!" Sakura said, her face looking determined as she glanced around at the various people. Many of them raised eyebrows at her and Fai's outfits, and she realized they stood out a bit. Fai especially. "I guess we should look for someone causing a commotion...." she started slowly, continuing to glace around. "Kurogane-san's outfit will probably stand out a bit."

"Hyuu! Sakura-chan, you're so smart!" Fai said excitedly as he threw his arms up in the arm dramatically. "Kuro-pyun does look kind of weird."

"Who the hell are you calling 'Kuro-pyun?!" Fai and Sakura spun around to see Kurogane standing behind them, Mokona perched comfortably on his head. As the two suspected, the ninja was receiving quite a few strange looks due to his choice of dress.

"Ah, is Syaoran-kun with you?" Sakura asked, glancing around for the brown-haired boy that seemed to be absent.

Mokona bounced onto the ground at her feet and replied, "We thought Syaoran would be with you!"

"Hmm...I guess we'll need to look for him some more, huh?" Fai said, making a show of gazing around through the crowd. "Though maybe we should get some clothes so we don't stand out so much. Kuro-woof stands out quite a bit."

"Shaddup! You stand out just as much!"

* * *


	3. Absent Answers

_Okay, I finally got it up. Please review! I would like constructive critism and comments!_

* * *

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**Chapter Two: Absent Answers**

**--**

"I guess we can't buy clothes without money, huh?" Fai said as he leaned against the wall behind the statue of Hachiko.

Sakura sighed, and Kurogane grumbled out something unintelligible.

"But did you really have to argue with the store clerk, Kuro-tan?"

More grumbling.

"Ah, b-but," Sakura said, hoping the two wouldn't start their own argument. "It wasn't really nice of him to say those things."

The blond nodded as he said, "You're right, Sakura-chan. No matter how weird Kuronta looks, that wasn't nice."

"What was that?!"

"Ah, Kuro-puppy's talking to me again! Hurray!"

"Ah, Fai-san, Kurogane-san," Sakura started slowly, and the two men turned to face her. "Shouldn't we look for Syaoran-kun?"

Fai nodded, and stepped away from the enraged ninja to say, "But it's going to be kind of difficult, isn't it?" The others followed his gaze to the crowd gathered in front of the Hachiko statue.

"This isn't even that crosswalk," Kurogane muttered. "Is this whole city this crowded?"

"It's just like home!" Mokona cried happily as it bounced up onto Kurogane's head, much to the ninja's annoyance.

Fai glanced up at him with a raised eyebrow. "You live in this, Mokona?"

"Yup! Tokyo if _full_ of people!" Kurogane shook Mokona off his head with a loud curse –why did the infuriating creature insist on staying up there? – and began pushing through the people in the crowd.

"Kurogane-san!"

"Eh? Kuro-tan's impatient!"

"Shaddup!"

--

There was silence between the two partners as they walked through the crowds that couldn't see them and on to their destination. Both were lost in their thoughts: one wondering how he had once again been thrown into the UG, the other still very unsure as to what was going on. Syaoran had countless more questions, but he got the feeling that now wasn't the time to ask.

Neku seemed to be putting up a barrier between the two, as if he didn't enjoy getting close to people; besides that, something seemed to be troubling the boy very much, and Syaoran figured he could wait until he sensed his new partner call down. Syaoran of course, was also bothered by the fact that he had been thrown into this....Reaper's Game, as Neku had called it. The name definately didn't sound too inviting, and the penalty for losing was rather high.

One thing was for sure, Syaoran was not going to let himself cease to exist until all of Sakura's memories - excluding the ones about him, he thought as he winced slightly - were once again returned to her. And if the others had also been thrown into this game, he would make sure that Sakura got out of this with no injuries.

Someone nearly walked into him, and the brown-haired boy had to jump out of the way quickly to avoid him; since he was in a different dimension than the citizens of Shibuya, he wasn't quite sure if they would walk through him or not, but he decided he didn't really want to find out. Glancing up, he caught sight of the bright orange hair of his partner, and picked up his speed to catch up to him.

"Neku-kun..." Neku grunted, but otherwise ignored the boy beside him. "Where exactly....I mean, who exactly are we going to see?"

"A friend of mine, who may be able to help us. We've cleared the mission for today, because the timer disappeared, and so we have some free time."

After a few more minutes of silence, they turned onto a street and Neku turned towards a small but welcoming building, Syaoran following close behind. "Here we are," Neku muttered, staring at the door with narrowed eyes. Syaoran watched him, waiting to see what he would do. Finally, Neku reached out and pushed the door open. The ringing of a bell sounded above their heads as they entered, and Syaoran realized that the inside resembled the _Cat's Eye_ cafe that Fai had owned in Oto.

There was no one around, but that wasn't what bothered the two partners. The place was trashed, chairs and tables turned over, pictures had fallen off walls, and there were broken plates and cups littering the floor. Syaoran gasped, and with a glance back at the other boy he could see that Neku's jaw had tightened.

"...What?" The orange-haired boy stepped around the reckage as he made his way over to the counter. Syaoran walked around the cafe slowly, looking for anything that could give them a clue as to what happened. "Mr. H?" He heard Neku call out the name, and turned back to look at him. "Mr. Hanekoma?" He was answered with nothing but silence, and he rubbed his shoulder nervously, a grimace across his face.

Neku hung his head, and Syaoran was unable to read his expression, but he could clearly hear the desperation as the other boy muttered, "Not again..."

"This has happened before?" Neku nodded. "Is this Mr. Hanekoma being targeted by someone?"

"I'm not sure, but the last time his shop was wrecked like this, something happened with the game that wasn't supposed to."

"Who is Mr. Hanekoma?"

Neku sighed, and turned to look at his partner slowly. "Someone who knows a lot about the game." Continuing to rub his shoulder - Syaoran had to wonder if it was a sort of nervous habit he had - Neku looked down at the ground and added, "I was hoping he would be able to-"

Suddenly, the two toppled to the ground, and everything went black.

_'I was hoping he would be able to answer a question for me. Why am I in the game again?'_

--

"Where the hell is the kid?" Kurogane grumbled as the four stopped behind a building, out of sight from the crowd that had continued to give them strange looks. They had been searching for Syaoran for a good hour now, and had been unable to find him anywhere.

Sakura lowered her eyes to the ground, sighing softly, unaware that Fai was watching her with a soft expression. "You're worried about him," Fai said gently, walking over to stand in front of the girl who was nodding slowly. "But Syaoran-kun would feel bad if he knew he made you worry, wouldn't he?"

"That's the way Syaoran is!" Mokona chirped out.

"But-!" Sakura started, but was silenced when Fai placed his finger on her lips and smiled widely at her.

"So when he returns you'll just have to say 'Welcome, back' and give him a smile as bright as the sun."

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	4. A New Friend

_Thank you to _**The Shinigami Alchemist** _and _**Iaevina** _for the reviews!_

_I actually got this next chapter out pretty fast, yay! Sorry, no Syaoran or Neku in this chapter, though some other characters make their appearance.....I know it ends somewhat suddenly....but I wanted to get it up. Next chapter will be up......no clue....._

_When you review, I would like you to answer a question: What is your favorite Tsubasa pairing? I'm curious...._

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**_Chapter Three: A New Friend_**

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A figure stood in the shadows, looking down on the bustling city of Shibuya. After a moment, he let out a short string of curses and began to pace back and forth.

Sighing heavily, he took another glance out at the city, before turning and leaving, dropping the lollipop stick that he had been nervously chewing on carelessly on the ground.

--

"Hmmm…." Kurogane, Sakura, and Mokona all glanced at Fai as he came to a stop in the center of the sidewalk.

"What?" Kurogane grumbled angrily.

"Well, it's getting some what dark, isn't it?" The others nodded. "Shouldn't we think about finding somewhere to stay?"

Sakura nodded slowly, glancing up at the slowly darkening sky and realizing Fai was right. She was still very worried about the whereabouts and condition of Syaoran, but she also knew that if she wasn't safe Syaoran would blame himself.

"I thought we didn't have money," Kurogane muttered.

Fai smiled widely. "We don't!"

The ninja gawked at him. "Then how the hell are we going to stay at an inn?!"

The blond ignored him and scanned through the thinning crowd. Now that the sun was starting to set, the streets were getting less crowded as people retreated to their homes. They currently stood in the crowded crosswalk that they had soon figured out was the most populated place in this city, and just because there were less people than before didn't mean that it wasn't still crowded.

"There!" Fai smiled, pointing at a small figure a little ways a way standing by herself in the center of the crosswalk. "We'll ask her!" He looped an arm around Sakura's and started dragging her towards the younger girl. The blond looked back over his shoulder to call out, "You stay there Kuro-moo. Your scary appearance will just intimidate her!"

"What was that?!"

Fai chuckled, and then came to a stop behind the young girl. "Excuse me."

The young girl turned around to face them, and they were able to get a good look at her. She was a young girl, probably no older than twelve or thirteen, with chin-length, straight, blonde hair that was covered with a black hat. Her orange shirt seemed a few sizes too big as it hung off her small frame, a black skull and crossbones in the shape of a heart depicted on the front.

Her bright, blue eyes stared at them curiously while a hand reached up to grasp the bell hanging around her neck on a silver chain. "Yes?"

"We're looking for a place to stay for the night," Fai replied, bending down to her level.

"There are many hotels here in Shibuya. What were you thinking for the price rage?" she asked.

Fai chuckled. "We were hoping free."

The girl frowned and raised an eyebrow. "Free?"

"We're travelers," Sakura explained. "We don't have this country's money."

The blonde thought for a moment, staring intently at the ground before she glanced up at them again. "So you two-"

"Three," Fai corrected. Turning, he pointed at the angry ninja glaring at them from a few meters away. "There's also Kuro-rin."

The girl nodded and continued, "So the three of you need a place to stay, but you have no money?" Sakura and Fai nodded. There was silence for a moment or two, as the girl stared intently at them. Finally she grinned and said, "Follow me."

Fai motioned to Kurogane, and the angry ninja came storming over; the three travelers – and Mokona who was hiding in Kurogane's cape – followed the young girl as she turned down streets and headed towards a destination they were unsure of at the moment.

"I'm Raimu Bito," the girl said with a smile as she turned to look at Sakura walking beside her. "But you can just call me Rhyme."

Sakura nodded. "I'm Sakura."

"My name is Fai," Fai said as he leaned in between the two girls. "And the angry one behind me is-"

"-Kurogane-san," Sakura said quickly, before Fai could say something else and start yet another fight. She smiled apologetically at the frowning mage.

"Why are you pouting…?" Kurogane asked slowly, a little wary of the man beside him.

Fai sniffed dramatically, and whined, "Because I wasn't allowed to call Kuro-puu another cute name!"

"Cute?!"

Rhyme giggled at the (_**loud**_) arguing men behind her, and turned back to look at Sakura. "Are they always like this?" Sakura nodded, and Rhyme smiled widely. "But they seem close," she added, making sure to say it quietly enough so that only Sakura could hear her.

"Ah…Rhyme-san," Sakura started, but Rhyme interrupted her.

"No, not Rhyme-san. That's too formal; we're friends, aren't we?"

"Un!" Sakura nodded feverishly. "I-I mean…Rhyme…chan….where are you taking us?"

The blonde smiled, and placed a finger to her lips. "You'll see."

--

Beat was worried.

Really worried.

No, even that was an understatement.

Ever since the three week long Reaper's Game had finally ended and everyone was once again living in the Realground, he had been terrified to lose Raimu again. No….he _wasn't_ going to let _anything_ happen to his little sister ever again.

Right now, as he was sitting at home staring intently at the clock across from him, he wondered why he had let her go out by herself in the first place.

'_I'm just running to the library to return a book. It won't take long, I promise.'_

It had taken a little while, but she had convinced him, and he had let her go. But it had been almost two hours now, much longer than it took to return a book and come home, and he was worried.

Cursing, he jumped up off of the chair he had been perched on, and rushed towards the front door. He was just about to open it and dash out to start his search, when the door opened on his own, and he nearly collided with a very large – and very strangely dressed – sinister looking black-haired man.

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	5. Sadness

_Yay, update! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this so far, your reviews have kept me updating. Well here's the next chapter, and I am going to apologize in advance for Beat. He doesn't speak much this chapter, but I'm afraid he might sound a little OOC later on, simply because there will either be too many 'yo's or too little......yeah.......and if Pi-face comes in, I'm doomed._

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**Chapter Four: Sadness**

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Beat decided that if he ever wanted to have an argument against Rhyme and actually _**win**_, he could not look in her eyes. Because if he did look in those big, blue eyes – the ones staring up at him full of hope – he would automatically say yes to whatever it was she was asking.

It was for that very reason – and that reason alone – that he now found himself seated next to the blond man _("I'm Fai! Nice to meet you!")_ and the very, angry looking man with the dark hair_ ("I'm Kurogane. __**Only Kurogane.**__") _He was glaring at them both as Kurogane quickly devoured his ramen and Fai attempted to master the art of chopsticks. (To which he was failing horribly.) He himself hadn't even touched his dinner, and his sister was staring at him worriedly.

"Beat, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, yo," he grumbled, glaring once again at Fai. (He didn't dare glare at Kurogane after the man had returned his glare with an even worse one.) Really, he wasn't fine at all. There was something about these travelers – or that's what they had said – that he didn't like.

Beat couldn't see why Rhyme had wanted them to stay at their house while they were here in Shibuya; their parents were currently away on a business trip, only allowing the siblings to stay home alone together after Rhyme had spent hours convincing them that Beat was more than capable of taking care of her. Even though most of the time Rhyme took care of him.

But now, these three were staying with them for who knew how long, and the skater wondered Rhyme had thought this was such a good idea. He didn't mind Sakura very much, but they didn't know anything about these people, and he knew it was possible that Sakura was being used only to make them trust the group more. Of course, that act would be a little contradictory with Kurogane.

Many people believed that Beat didn't think about things much, which was why he was likely to walk into traps, but when his sister was put in harm's way, he was extremely cautious. Never again would she be put in danger. Not after she had been hurt twice because of his inability to save her.

If these travelers, their temporary guests, tried anything, he would be sure to stay one step ahead and protect his baby sister.

Beat stood, and the other four in the room turned to glance at him. "I'm heading up," he muttered, not wanting to stay any longer with their new guests – mainly Kurogane – than absolutely necessary. He didn't want to deal with any of this right now.

Not with one of his good friends in the hospital and….

----

"Are you sure Beat-kun is okay with us staying here," Fai asked as he watched the boy head upstairs.

"It's okay," Rhyme nodded. "He's a nice person…..he just has been cautious against strangers ever since **that**."

"That?" both Sakura and Fai asked, cocking their heads to the side.

Rhyme smiled – an almost _sad_ smile – and waved a hand in dismissal. "Nothing, really."

"**Dammit! Get your own food!**" Kurogane suddenly yelled at what Rhyme thought was…his cloak…?

"Eh?"

----

Sakura walked back into Rhyme's room, now sporting one of Beat's old tee-shirt as her temporary pajamas. Rhyme was in the process of making Sakura a impermanent bed on the floor of her room using countless blankets.

Rhyme stopped what she was doing to glance at the older girl and smiled. "Good. Tomorrow you can borrow Beat's clothes," she said with a nod. "Unfortunately we don't have any clothes for Fai-san and Kurogane-san, so we'll have to buy them something."

Sakura helped her host straighten out one of the blankets. "Thank you so much Rhyme-chan."

"No problem." Rhyme studied the girl closer. "But you seem worried about something, Sakura-chan."

Sakura nodded. "We were separated from one of our friends." She frowned, glancing down at the floor. "I know I shouldn't be worried, but…."

"You are anyway," Rhyme finished. "I know what you mean. Feelings are irrational. You know you shouldn't be worried, but that doesn't mean you aren't." She smiled and put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "I'll help you look for them tomorrow! What do they look like?"

Sakura smiled, sitting down next to Rhyme as she described Syaoran to her. She began with his appearance, before she soon began talking about his character, and the kind things he had done for her.

The girls stayed up late into the night, Sakura talking about her traveling companions and some of the adventures along the way – without revealing they were from different worlds of course – and Rhyme talked about two people named Shiki and Neku.

----

"We're very fortunate to have met Rhyme-chan, hmm?" Fai said as he fixed his sleeping bag on the floor.

"I guess," Kurogane answered, already laying in his.

"She's very nice to let us stay here, and Sakura-chan and she seem to be good friends already."

"Mokona wants to meet Rhyme and Beat too!" Mokona cried, revealing itself from the folds of Kurogane's abandoned cloak.

"Ah, sorry Mokona." The blond mage hugged the creature while Kurogane rolled his eyes. "This world doesn't seem to have anything that resembles you, and we can't have you out in the open. But I'm sure Rhyme-chan would like you."

Mokona seemed to brighten at this, and hopped onto the floor. "But Rhyme and Beat are sad."

"Hmm? That's one of your special techniques, isn't it Mokona?"

"It's one of Mokona's 108 secret abilities. Detecting people's sadness. Rhyme and Beat are both sad, but they're hiding it." The creature looked sad, its ears dropping low.

Fai smiled softly. It seemed almost everyone Mokona came in contact with was sad one way or the other. "I hope they won't stay sad for much longer."


	6. The Prince

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Please continue to review, I need to know how I've done!! This one is shorter than I wanted to make it, but I wanted to hurry up and get the next chapter out. Hopefully the plot will start moving forward now._

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**_Chapter Five: The Prince_**

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The hard pavement was cold against his face; Syaoran lay there for a moment, dully noting the honking of car horns and the loud conversations of the people around him, wondering how he had ended up with his cheek pressed against the ground in the first place. As far as he knew, the last thing he had been doing was searching through the wrecked _Wild Kat_ café, searching for the mysterious 'Mr. Hanekoma'.

The brown-haired boy sat up slowly, stretching his muscles as if he had just awoken from sleeping, and glanced around. His eyes widened, a gasp escaping his widely opened mouth as he realized something: he was back at the Scramble Crossing. He definitely didn't remember returning here.

Syaoran suddenly had another thought: Neku was nowhere in sight. He stood, glancing around for the orange-colored porcupine quills that were so recognizable of the young teen. "Over here." He jumped at the close proximity of the voice behind him, spinning around to see his newly acquainted partner standing there.

Neku had a large scowl covering his features, though Syaoran had seen that often on the young teen's face, and he was once again angrily rubbing at his arms. Syaoran frowned, recognizing that although Neku looked extremely annoyed, there was no confusion in his features.

Just as Syaoran opened his mouth to question, Neku cut in with an explanation. "Yesterday, when we were at Mr. H's shop, we suddenly blacked out because Day 1 ended. For all of the players in the UG, the Game Master is allowed to decide when the days end for us. Sometimes, after completing a mission, we get some free time to roam, and other times, the day ends, and we wake back up in the Scramble Crossing the next day."

"So, this is now Day 2?" Syaoran asked, and Neku nodded in reply. The brown-haired teen smiled slightly. As much as he disliked the thought of someone being able to control when he went to sleep and when (and where) he woke up, if the days went this quickly, it meant that it wouldn't take long for the week and the Game to be over. His first priority at the moment, besides assisting Neku in the Game and completing the missions, was to find the others as quickly as possible, and make sure that the princess was safe.

"What about the mission?" he asked, glancing over at Neku who was surveying the oblivious crowd with narrowed eyes.

"We wait to receive the mission mail." As soon as the teen finished answering, there was the sound of beeping coming from the pockets of Neku's pants and Syaoran's cloak. The two immediately pulled out their cell phones, checking for the next assignment; while Neku quickly read the text message, Syaoran fumbled around with the device, wondering how he had been able to read the message the previous day.

Luckily, Neku read the message aloud. "Quiet the Prince. Your limit is 200 minutes. Failing players will face wipe out." The two winced as pain shot through their hands, and after glancing down at his, Syaoran saw that the timer had returned.

"Quiet…the prince?" Syaoran repeated slowly. "Does Shibuya have a prince?" By this time, Neku had told him that he was in the Shibuya district of Tokyo.

Neku shook his head. "Not as in royalty, but there is someone people call the Prince. I have no clue what it means, but I suggest we start by finding him."

Syaoran nodded. "Any clue where he is?" He frowned when Neku shook his head.

"But we can scan the crowd. One of these girls is sure to know."

"…Scan?"

Neku stared at him with wide eyes for a moment before there was recognition in his features. "Damn….I forgot that you don't know anything about the game." Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the same pin Syaoran had found the first day: the black one with a white skull and crossbones. "You should have one of these, they're Player Pins. All the players get one, and they allow us to read people's minds, or scan them."

"Read their minds!?" Syaoran exclaimed, staring incredulously at the pin sitting in Neku's hand.

"Anyone but other Players and Reapers."

"…and Reapers are?"

Neku sighed. "I explain when we come across one. Anyway, just concentrate on listening to one voice at a time or you can give yourself a real headache."

After saying that, he closed his eyes and placed his hands on either side of his purple headphones, standing still as Syaoran watched.

He really didn't want to have to deal with that pin again. Neku was right; the flurry of voices entering your mind was overwhelming. Sighing, Syaoran reached into his cloak pocket, eyes widening when he realized there was more than one pin.

Pulling his hand out, he stared at the pile of pins decorated with multiple pictures, no doubt for specific purposes. With a glance back at the silent Neku, he selected the Player Pin and placed the others back into his pocket, sure he would have to use them at some point or another.

For a moment, the pin and he engaged in a staring contest while he attempted to figure out how exactly to trigger the effects of the pin. Last time, the only thing it had took was for him to touch it. "Concentrate, huh?" Closing his eyes, he imagined probing out with his minds, gazing into the hidden thoughts of the crowd around him.

The reaction was immediate; the frenzy of voices returned, louder than before, if that was possible. His teeth gritted together as his hands flew up to his pounding head.

Concentrate.

_Concentrate._

_**Concentrate.**_

The pin slipped from his hands, and the voices stopped. Syaoran rubbed his aching forehead, glaring down at the bothersome pin.

"No luck, huh?" he heard Neku ask.

"I wasn't able to separate one thought from another," he muttered with a frown, hesitating before he picked the pin up off the pavement and returned it to his pocket.

He heard Neku chuckle. "Hard to get used to, isn't it? Once you get the hang of it, it's one of the best pins in the game."

Syaoran looked back at his partner. "I meant to ask you about that. Are there more pins used in the game?"

"Yeah. Lots. Pins do all sorts of things, and are used in battles." He must've realized by now that he had to elaborate for his partner, because he added, "Battles against the noise. Not everyone can use them though, and some can use more than others."

Syaoran nodded, processing this new information. He wondered if he could simply fight with kicks like he was used to, or if it would be more like when he used the fire Kudan in the Hanshin Republic. But there was a bigger issue at the moment. "Did you find out where the Prince is?"

Neku scowled, rubbing his shoulder once again, and grumbled, "No. But some girl did give a bit of interesting information. Apparently the Prince was supposed to show up at the 104 Building about an hour ago for a special sale, and never showed."

"Well, I guess we should start looking."

---

Sakura ran down the stairs of the Bito household, and nearly tripped over her own feet as she slid into the kitchen. The other four in the room looked up from what they were doing to glance at her.

"Ah, Sakura-chan! You're awake," Fai exclaimed happily with a smile. The three males – Beat, Fai, and Kurogane – sat at the kitchen counter, eating something that looked very tasty while Rhyme stood near a steaming oven covered in sizzling batter.

Flipping the round things she had been cooking onto a plate, she set it on the counter in front of the seat Sakura had sat down in. Sakura glanced at them without recognition, and Fai explained. "They're pancakes, and very good!" Setting down a jug of something he added, "Put this on it!"

Sakura did as she was told, and moaned in delight when she took a bite. "These are so good Rhyme-chan!"

Rhyme giggled. "Thanks. So today we're going to get Fai-san and Kurogane-san some new clothes, and look for Syaoran-kun, right?"

The three travelers nodded, and Sakura glanced over at the silently fuming boy next to her. Beat certainly didn't look happy, not that he ever had seemed pleased about their presence. She wondered if they had done something to offend him, and hoped that it wasn't her fault.

"Should we go get you some clothes, Sakura-chan?" she heard Rhyme ask, and nodded. "Okay, come on!" The younger girl grabbed her wrist and tugged her upstairs.

As Sakura tried not to stumble, she heard Beat call angrily from the kitchen, "Don't mess with my stuff, Rhyme!"


	7. Friends

_I know, I know, I know. It's been much too long since this story has been updated, and about that I am terribly sorry. I meant to make this chapter long to make up for the long absence, but decided instead to simply put it up how it is. The next chapter should be up soon, but I can't promise anything. We have finals next week, and then I'll be gone on vacation for two weeks. So......I'll try to get it out as soon as possible. Thanks to all your reviews, and thank you everyone who is sticking with this story!

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_**Chapter Six: Friends**_

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"I refuse to believe that not one girl in all of Shibuya knows where the Prince is," Neku muttered crossly while his partner sighed. Day 2 of the Reaper's Game was proving to be rather difficult, and Syaoran still had not met up with any of his traveling companions.

His thoughts had drifted to Sakura and her possible condition so often that he had been unable to concentrate long enough to scan any one person's thoughts. Neku was eventually irritated enough to send him to question face-to-face. Syaoran had been rather shocked to discover players were capable of talking with members of the RG in shops and restaurants decorated by the Reaper symbol, and wondered how many other important things Neku had failed to teach him.

After spending half of their time limit searching without results, they collapsed in a vacant booth in one of the fast food joints.

"Are you positive there is no other 'Prince' in Shibuya," Syaoran asked.

Neku shook his head. "I'm positive." He leaned his cheek against his hand and stared out the window with a far away look. Syaoran watched as he absentmindedly fingered the black player pin, his violet eyes drifting closed.

Just as a young waitress was heading over to take their order, Neku leapt to his feet, look of determination and triumph on his face. "Got him!"

Without another word, he pushed past the started waitress and ran out of the door, with Syaoran following not far behind.

---

Rhyme was the only person who had ever worn Beat's clothing, and even then it was only because she had stolen them from his closet when he wasn't around and had then proceeded to prance around his room in them like a model in a fashion show. Because of this, he somehow felt extremely uncomfortable as he stared at Sakura from his doorway.

The black and white stripped, long sleeved shirt she wore was one of his old ones, and somehow managed to fit her rather well, even though the sleeves had been pushed up to her elbows so they didn't get in her way.

The baggy, khaki shorts were held up with a belt, and hopefully no longer in danger of falling. Her shoes had been replaced with Rhyme's old sneakers, and as an added bonus, Rhyme had placed a white and red baseball cap on her head.

"Sakura-chan! You're so cute!" Rhyme squealed happily, bouncing around the flustered girl. Spinning on her heel she turned to Beat and asked, "Don't you think so?"

A red faced Beat muttered out what Rhyme assumed was an affirmative reply; the blonde suddenly halted, a look of horror on her face. Sakura and Beat stared at her in concern for a moment before she shouted, "The pancakes!" As she rushed downstairs, the two remaining in the room smelled the smoke that had alerted Rhyme.

Beat turned to follow, but Sakura's voice stopped him. "Er…." He turned back to glance at her. "Thank you Beat-san," she said, smiling nervously and hoping he wouldn't get angry with her.

The boy reacted quite differently from what she had expected; he blushed slightly and shuffled his feet in embarrassment. "It's…fine, yo."

"Beat-san, did Fai-san, Kurogane-san, or I do anything to make you mad? I hope you don't dislike us." She seemed flustered, and began talking quickly, stuttering over her words. "I hope us staying here wasn't, or isn't, er, a problem at all. W-we could leave if you don't want us here or-"

Sakura was interrupted by Beat. "It's okay, yo! Really, just…..it hasn't been a good week or anything….." He frowned as he saw Sakura look at him sadly and turned to look away. "I mean, I'm fine! Really, yo! I am! I'm…er, I'm not mad….Just," he paused, glancing at Sakura again. "Don't call me Beat-san, that's weird, yo."

"Okay Beat-kun."

Beat waved his arms in the air. "NO! What'd I say, yo? Just Beat! We-we're…" He turned away from her and began to make his way out of his room and back downstairs where Fai's laughter and Rhyme's apologies could be heard. "….friends, 'kay?"

If Beat had turned back around, he would have seen Sakura smile widely. "Yes, we're friends," she giggled, following him downstairs.


End file.
